Football blocking dummy

ABSTRACT

As an article of manufacture, a football blocking dummy useful in teaching the fundamentals of blocking and tackling is provided which has in the upper portion of the article integrally positioned therein a grasping means which protects the hands, wrists, and fingers of the individual holding the dummy from injury caused by the force of another individual who blocks or tackles the dummy.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Robert L Rees;

George E. Williams, Bartlesville, Okla. [2]] Appl. No. 736,731 [22]Filed June 13, 1968 [45] Patented Jan. 26, 1971 [73] Assignee PhillipsPetroleum Company a corporation of Delaware.

[54] FOOTBALL BLOCKING DUMMY 8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl 273/55 [5 l Int. Cl A63h 67/00 [50] Field of Search 273/55,67; 272/76 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,574,046 1 1/195l Logan 273/55 2,586,283 2/1952 Wynn 273/55 2,904,337 9/1959 Canning273/55 2,937,872 5/1960 Gilman 273/55 3,185,476 5/1965 Fechner 272/76XPrimary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Theatrice BrownAttorney-Young and Quigg ABSTRACT: As an article of manufacture, afootball blocking dummy useful in teaching the fundamentals of blockingand tackling is provided which has in the upper portion of the articleintegrally positioned therein a grasping means which protects the hands,wrists, and fingers of the individual holding the dummy from injurycaused by the force of another individual who blocks or tackles thedummy.

7 PATENTED Jmzs I97! INVENTORS R.L R E E5 FIG. 2

A TTORNEVS FOOTBALL BLOCKING DUMMY FIELD OF THE INVENTION This inventionrelates to an article of manufacture which comprises a tackling andblocking dummy which is utilized to I teach the fundamentals of tacklingand blocking for the game of football. In another aspect, this inventionrelates to a football dummy which has integrally positioned therein ameans for grasping the dummy in such a way that it reduces thepossibility of injury to an individuals hands, fingers, and wrists whenholding the dummy.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For many years the game of football has beentaught to individuals utilizing various types of blocking and tacklingdummics to teach the fundamentals of the game. Due to the roughness ofthe sport, it has been a primary concern of coaches and players alike toprovide equipment which minimizes the opportunity for injuries to theparticipants. In recent years, the utilization of an upright standing,generally frustoconical shaped blocking dummy has become extensive inteaching the fundamentals of the sport.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART This type of dummy is usually approximately3 to 4 feet high, and ranges from approximately I foot to 3 feet indiameter at its top, with an increasing diameter at its base. The upstanding dummy is utilized in football practice session in the followingmanner. A holding player grasps the dummy and provides an opposite forceagainst the force to be exerted by the player who will block or tacklethe dummy. Therefore, there is provided upon the dummy a grasping meanswhich heretofore has consisted of handles which protrude from the outeredges of the upper portion of the dummy. The holding player grasps thehandles which allows him to move the dummy about the practice field, andto provide an opposite force to that force which is exerted by theblocking or tackling player.

However, this type of dummy has caused a problem which this inventionseeks to alleviate. That is, that the protruding handles must be graspedwith the hands of the holding player in such a manner that when atwisting motion is imparted to the dummy by the impact of the tacklingplayer, the dummy tends to be wrenched from the holding players handscausing injury to the players hands or fingers. This problem occurs evenif the protruding handles are relatively close together, as for examplein U. S. Pat. No. 2,904,337 J. R. Canning, issued Sept. 15, I959.Furthermore, a blow to the dummy by the tackling player which imparts adirectly forward motion to the dummy oftentimes results in a bruising ofthe knuckles or other portions of the hands and wrists of the holdingplayer. In the case of the Canning patent, this is because the directimpact against the dummy is absorbed by the knuckles of the player.Moreover, if the handles on the blocking dummies of the prior art arefarther apart than those described in the Canning patent, the usualresult is that the impact upon the dummy is absorbed by the holdingplayer's thumbs which often results in serious injury to thumbs, inparticular the joints of the thumbs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTIONOF THE DRAWING Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to providea blocking dummy for use in football practice sessions whichsubstantially reduces the chance of injury to the football players.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become morereadily apparent from a reading of the following disclosure, claims, andthe drawings wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective view of the blocking dummy of the inventionwhich is partly in section;

FIG. 2 is a cutaway perspective view of the upper portion of theblocking dummy of the invention showing a preferred embodiment thereof;and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the improved blocking dummy showinganother preferred embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. I of the drawing,a perspective view of the blocking dummy of the invention is provided.The dummy I0 has a generally frustoconical shape which is wider at itsbase than at the top. The top 1 of the dummy is generally flat. In theupper portion thereof, there is provided indentations 3 which extendinwardly from the outer surface 2 of the blocking dummy. The outersurface 4 of indentation 3 is preferably curved so as to provide aresting place for the curved fingers of the holding players hand. Thecurvature of the outer surface 4 of the indentation 3 enables theholding player to obtain a better grip on the dummy. Accordingly, thegrasping means of the invention is provided by the outer surface 4 ofindentation 3 and the outer surface 5 of wall 2. The palm of the handrests on surface 5, while the fingers of the hand are inserted intoindentations 3, the palm side of the fingers of the hand resting againstsurface 4.

Contraction of the muscles of the forearm, wrist, hand and fingersprovides pressure against surface 4 and surface 5 thereby allowing theholding player to grasp the dummy firmly. Isometric force exerted byboth arms, wrists, hands and fingers prevents rotational movement of thedummy; and further, the force exerted by the blow of a blocking ortackling player is absorbed into the palms of the hands, rather than theknuckles, thumbs or fingers.

Generally the height of indentation 3 as well as the width thereof maybe regulated to anticipate the size of the players hand which will beholding the dummy. That is to say, if the dummy is to be used primarilyby younger boys, then the depth of indentations 3 as well as thedistance between surface 4 and the outer surface 5 of wall 2 may beregulated so that they may easily grasp the dummy. In addition, thediameter of the upper portion of the dummy and the diameter of the baseof the dummy may be regulated in accordance with its height to providevarious sizes in accordance with the use contemplated for the dummy.

The cutaway portion of FIG. 1 also illustrates the hollow nature of theblocking dummy of the invention. The upstanding wall 2 of the dummy isshown to have a thickness which is illustrated by numeral 6 in thedrawing. The internal cavity 7 of the dummy may be partitioned intosections which allows various filler materials to occupy variousportions of the clummyv In addition, in order to provide some stabilityto the dummy, cavity 7 may be filled with water, sand, or any otherheavy material which will allow the blocking dummy to have stability atits base. In one embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. I the base8 of the drawing is flat.

FIG. 2 of the drawing illustrates another embodiment of the inventionwherein the indentation 3 is connected to the outer portion 5 of wall 2by slot 9. This slot provides a resting place for the holding playersthumb when his hand grasps the dummy by way of the grasping means whichis provided by surfaces 4 and 5. This eliminates any possibility of thethumb being exposed and susceptible to injury when the hand grasps thegrasping means as mentioned above.

FIG. 3 of the drawing is a perspective view showing two otherembodiments of the invention. As is shown therein, base 8 is seen to berounded thereby providing a means whereby the dummy may be lifted intoan upright position easily after it has been knocked down by a blockingplayer. Furthermore, it is within the scope of this invention to providea counterweight within cavity 7 which will allow the dummy to return toan upright position without assistance from a player. The counterweightmay be of liquid or solid material which exerts a force upon the base ofthe dummy when it is placed in a horizontal position, said force therebycausing the dummy to right itself to the vertical position. HO. 3 alsoillustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein the indentations 3 donot extend into the open surface of top 1. This embodiment has theadvantage of protecting the exposed surface of the hand from any contactby a blocking or tackling player since top 1 extends over indentations 3and therefore, prevent the hands of the holding player from beinginjured.

The material utilized to form the dummy of the invention is preferablyany thermoplastic material which has a high impact strength and moderateresiliency after fabrication. Generally. those polymers and copolymersof l-olefms which are classified as low or medium density polymers orcopolymers having 2 to 8 carbon atoms per molecule, can be employed asthe material from which the blocking dummy of the invention is made.Preferably, the dummy is prepared from a polyethylene resin having adensity of about 0.910 to 0.940 grams/cc. by the ASTM Dl50563T method.This resin is perfectly suitable for blow molding or rotational moldingoperations. Polymers which are particularly suited for the materialutilized in making the improved blocking dummy are polymers orcopolymers of l-olefins with vinyl esters, such as vinyl acetate; orwith acrylates, such as ethyl acrylate. Another type of polymer whichcan be employed is the vinyl plastisols, such as plasticized poly/(vinylchloride). Furthermore, it is within the scope of the invention toutilize other materials such as canvass; natural and synthetic films,such a leathers, etc. to form the impact surface of the dummy.

Other modifications and variations in the invention from this disclosureare possible without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. The shape of the dummy can be other than frustoconical. Itcan be generally cylindrical, crescent shaped, pyramidal, conical, orcombinations of these. in particular, it is within the scope of theinvention to have a blocking dummy which is substantially crescentshaped. This dummy may be held by the holding player against his bodyand off of the ground. The crescent-shaped dummies are conventionallycalled scrimmage dummies", and the grasping means of this invention arelocated at the midportion of the body of the dummy.

We claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a football blocking dummy having anupstanding wall and positioned in said wall a pair of internallydirected indentations which extend toward each other from the outersurface of said wall, the outer surface of said wall intermediate saidindentations and the surface of said indentations directly opposite saidouter wall providing a grasping means whereby said outer surface of saidwall receives the palm portion of the human hand and the surface of saidindentations opposite said outer wall receive the fingers of said hand,said grasping means being such that it protects the hands, wrists andfingers from injury when said arti cle is struck, blocked or tackled.

2. An article of manufacture according to claim 1 wherein saidindentations and said grasping means are located in the upper portion ofsaid article.

3. An article of manufacture according to claim 2 wherein said footballblocking dummy has a substantially frustoconical shape, and said surfaceof said indentations directly opposite said outer wall is curved therebypermitting the hands of a player holding said dummy to obtain a bettergrip on said grasping means.

4. An article of manufacture according to claim 3 wherein saidindentations additionally open on the flat upper surface of said dummy.

5. An article of manufacture according to claim 4 wherein a slot isprovided in said flat upper surface between each of said indentationsand the outer surface of said wall, thereby forming a resting means forthe thumb of the human hand when the hand grasps said grasping means.

6 As an article of manufacture, a football blocking dummy having asubstantially frustoconical shape which includes an upstanding wall, andpositioned in said wall a pair of curved, internally directedindentations which extend toward each other from the outer surface ofsaid wall, the outer surface of said wall and the surface of saidindentations directly opposite said outer wall providing a graspingmeans whereby said outer surfaces of said wall receive the palm portionof the human hand and the surface of said indentations opposite saidouter wall receives the finger of said hand, said indentations and saidgrasping means being located in the upper portion of said article inopen communication with the upper surface of said article, and furtherincluding a slot in said upper surface between each of said indentationsand the outer surface of said wall, thereby fonning a resting means forthe thumb of the human hand when the hand grasps said grasping means.

7. An article of manufacture according to claim 6 wherein said dummy isprovided with a rounded base which allows said dummy to be easily raisedto an upright vertical position after being placed in a horizontalposition.

8. An article of manufacture according to claim 6 wherein the lowerportion of said dummy is filled with a material which allows said dummyto automatically return to an upright vertical position after said dummyhas been placed in a horizontal position.

1. As an article of manufacture, a football blocking dummy having anupstanding wall and positioned in said wall a pair of internallydirected indentations which extend toward each other from the outersurface of said wall, the outer surface of said wall intermediate saidindentations and the surface of said indentations directly opposite saidouter wall providing a grasping means whereby said outer Surface of saidwall receives the palm portion of the human hand and the surface of saidindentations opposite said outer wall receive the fingers of said hand,said grasping means being such that it protects the hands, wrists andfingers from injury when said article is struck, blocked or tackled. 2.An article of manufacture according to claim 1 wherein said indentationsand said grasping means are located in the upper portion of saidarticle.
 3. An article of manufacture according to claim 2 wherein saidfootball blocking dummy has a substantially frustoconical shape, andsaid surface of said indentations directly opposite said outer wall iscurved thereby permitting the hands of a player holding said dummy toobtain a better grip on said grasping means.
 4. An article ofmanufacture according to claim 3 wherein said indentations additionallyopen on the flat upper surface of said dummy.
 5. An article ofmanufacture according to claim 4 wherein a slot is provided in said flatupper surface between each of said indentations and the outer surface ofsaid wall, thereby forming a resting means for the thumb of the humanhand when the hand grasps said grasping means.
 6. As an article ofmanufacture, a football blocking dummy having a substantiallyfrustoconical shape which includes an upstanding wall, and positioned insaid wall a pair of curved, internally directed indentations whichextend toward each other from the outer surface of said wall, the outersurface of said wall and the surface of said indentations directlyopposite said outer wall providing a grasping means whereby said outersurfaces of said wall receive the palm portion of the human hand and thesurface of said indentations opposite said outer wall receives thefinger of said hand, said indentations and said grasping means beinglocated in the upper portion of said article in open communication withthe upper surface of said article, and further including a slot in saidupper surface between each of said indentations and the outer surface ofsaid wall, thereby forming a resting means for the thumb of the humanhand when the hand grasps said grasping means.
 7. An article ofmanufacture according to claim 6 wherein said dummy is provided with arounded base which allows said dummy to be easily raised to an uprightvertical position after being placed in a horizontal position.
 8. Anarticle of manufacture according to claim 6 wherein the lower portion ofsaid dummy is filled with a material which allows said dummy toautomatically return to an upright vertical position after said dummyhas been placed in a horizontal position.